Review: Bochinche Singapore’s New Small Plates Menu

Singapore’s favourite Argentinian restaurant has unbuttoned its collar and is surprising tastebuds with an all-new small plates menu that showcases the diverse produce of Argentina in dishes bursting with hearty flavours. With some old favourites like their popular Ribeye Steak still on the menu, the restaurant has been redecorated to give a fun, lighter and more casual spin with a new layout, bar area and comfortable al fresco dining.

Overall: ★★★★☆ Price: $$$

It was Friday evening, so we brought empty stomachs and kicked back with some delicious cocktails to start the meal. The manager recommended the Bemberg Fizz made with Yellow Chartreuse, Chamomile Syrup, Lemon, Orange Butters & Beer as well as the Mr Hendricks with Hendrick’s Gin (of course), Egg white, Japanese Cucumber, Lemon and Mint. Both were light, refreshing and had a subtle complexity which I really appreciate as an accompaniment to the food.

But let’s delve right into the all-new Small Plates offerings. This one wasn’t quite on the menu yet, but Chef Diego wanted to give us a sampler of just how creative Argentinians can get when it comes to playing with textures and flavours. This is a dish made of a thin, crispy wafer of Chicken Skin with Chicken Liver, and a very unique homemade sauce.

It was so surprising and once he prepared it, almost every table in the restaurant wanted one! The next small plate we had for starters is this Pickled Beetroot with Goat’s Curd and Yogurt topped with toasted Oatmeal for that added crunch.

This light tartness of the yogurt brought out the natural sweetness of the beetroot. Definitely an interesting dish to try.

I really enjoyed this. The chunks of fish were so fresh and went so well with the refreshing lemon curd and coriander. Lest it gets too sour, sweet pickled radish and onions added a crunchy sweetness to the dish.

Then, we ordered the Grilled Octopus with Green Pea Foam and Mussels Escabeche.

I loved the flavour on the octopus, it was salted just right and went just perfectly with a sprinkling of chilli powder and the organic creaminess of the green peas. It was fun watching the cooks grill the octopus over the fire but this was a tad tougher than I expected, having been spoilt by Spanish octopus.

And finally, the highlight of my evening. The exceptional house special Chimichurri Burger!

This was perfectly-toasted brioche buns hugging a juicy ribeye patty with bone marrow (!), crispy bacon, caramelised onion and that tangy, highly-addictive chimichurri sauce. Wow. Hands down one of the best burgers I’ve had in Singapore.

Look at those messy layers of meat, fat and soft marrow melting together with the sweetness of the onions and amazing flavours of parsley, oregano and vinegar. And as though it can’t get any better, the fries were also amazing. Hand-cut and fried to crispy golden perfection on the outside with soft and fluffy insides. This was amazing and I’ll definitely be back for more.

And finally, to dessert!

We tried this Argentinian classic of Dulce De Leche Creme Brûlée given a playful twist with some homemade Banana Split Ice-cream chockfull of delicious fruit, nuts and smooth, gorgeous vanilla. This is heavenly but can get a little overwhelming so try and share if you can.

BoCHINche was a breath of fresh air. It’s always great to try a new cuisine and have such fun doing it. No longer the stuffy formal restaurant of yesteryear, these guys want you to let your hair down and have a good time. And boy, did we. I hear they do a mean brunch. I think I might already be there.